So there have been plenty of films on the ‘Anti-Christ’ (or Dajjal) as long as Hollywood has been around. However, most of these ventures may not have portrayed him as a ‘false Messiah.’ Netflix’s upcoming feature Messiah is all set to change that.
The series draws inspiration from Islam’s concept of ‘Al-Masih ad-Dajjal.‘ Take a look at the trailer here:
Who do you think he is? Messiah begins streaming January 1, only on @netflix. #MessiahIsComing pic.twitter.com/zx46AIS2zp
— MESSIAH (@MessiahNetflix) December 3, 2019
Going by what major religions of the world say, Christianity paints the Anti-Christ as the Devil’s spawn, bringing about the destruction of the world. In Islam, ‘Al-Masih ad-Dajjal’ or the Anti-Christ is a ‘false Messiah’ who basically represents the calm before the storm (Armageddon)
Dajjal will supposedly start a cult, creating a ‘global peace’ and mislead people until the actual second coming of Hazrat Isa (or Jesus Christ as he’s known in Christianity), who exposes the false Messiah.
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More About Messiah
Based on what we see in the trailer, we see a brown guy going around Israel, Syria, and the US, starting a cult that catches the attention of Homeland Security.
We see CIA’s Eva Geller (played by Michelle Monaghan), who says ‘we can’t let this guy shake up the geopolitical power dynamic’.
“He could be creating an army … or he could be leading them to their deaths.”
Oddly he’s targeting Syria, a conflict zone, Israel, the disputed holy land, and Texas, the heart of the Southern right. Which might explain the show’s tag line:
“Will he convert you? Will he con you?”
The series has been created by Michael Petroni, who is also behind Possession and Till Human Voices Wake Us.
Micheal Brandon Guercio penned the script.
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Season 1 will consist of ten episodes. The story will be explored from various point of views. It will be told from the perspective of a young CIA agent, an Israeli Shin Bet officer, a Latino preacher and his Texan daughter, a Palestinian refugee and the media.
Messiah release date on Netflix is January 1, 2020.
Audience Reactions
Muslim Twitter is having a ball with this trailer. The #MessiahIsComing trend on Twitter is littered with inside Muslim jokes.
https://twitter.com/zulekhaamjad_/status/1202032439499149315
https://twitter.com/mysteriouslywow/status/1202097171631394817
https://twitter.com/MahmoudYow/status/1202120184011595776
Here are other reactions:
#MessiahIsComing looks… good. A brown Jesus? He must be the anti-christ no way this is ending happily pic.twitter.com/CbNifMAjN6
— khadija 🪐 (@Keeeeeeja) December 3, 2019
With the looks he's got, it's not gonna be that difficult for Dajjal to gain followers.#MessiahIsComing #Messiah #Netflix
— Afiq 𝕏 (@A_Hxrrxz) December 4, 2019
The guy who I thought should have been cast as Aladdin. Definitely watching this one!!!!! #MessiahIsComing https://t.co/in86XT6Hp2
— Lee-Roy Wright (@LeeRoyWright) December 3, 2019
Given all the brown artists in the cast, Netflix might be trying to be more inclusive, but accuracy matters. A series on ‘Salahadin‘ sounds like a much better idea.
#Messiah@netflix has genuinely just perpetuated Hollywood stereotypes of Muslims even more to point of offending our beliefs.
We dont need "representation" which caricaturizes our portrayal & demeans us.
We dont need representation, we need our own narrative.
— Hasib Noor – حسيب المدني (@hasibmn) December 4, 2019
"We didnt need a positive image of Islam… no, please make a inaccurate and false Muslim depiction about the Antichrist #Dajjal. That definitely perfectly represents us!"
– said, no Muslim … ever@netflix #MessiahIsComing , no keep him at Netflix
— Hasib Noor – حسيب المدني (@hasibmn) December 4, 2019
